Ministry of Culture
The recently retrieved idol of Goddess Annapurna to begin its journey on November 11 for its rightful place at Kashi Vishwanath temple, Varanasi : Shri G. Kishan Reddy
Shri G. Kishan Reddy to take part in various cultural events in UP including the Ayodhya Deepotsav on 3rd November
Key Highlights:
- The Archeological Survey of India  received the murthi of Goddess Annapurna Devi on 15th October and it will be placed at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
- Sri G. Kishan Reddy, Minister for Tourism, Culture and DoNER, will also participate in the Ayodhya Deepotsav programme on 3rd November .
The idol of Goddess Annapurna which was retrieved from Ottawa, Canada and has been received by the Archaeological Survey of India  on 15th October,will begin its journey on 11th November for its rightful place at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.Giving this information, the Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and DoNERhas stated that he will interact with media on 3rd November , 2021 at the residence of Shri Yogi Adithyanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh to give details of the journey of idol of Goddess Annapurna and highlight the efforts made to retrieve and bring home the idols and antiquities from various countries under the leadership of the Prime Minister.
Since 1976, 55 idols have been returned to India. 75% of the idols that have been returned were done so during the tenure of Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi .Out of the 55 antiquities, 42 were returned after 2014 with the Annapurna Devi being the last addition to this.
The idol will be taken from Delhi to Aligarh on the 11th November, from there it will be taken to Kanauj on the 12th of November and reach Ayodhya on 14th November. Finally, it will reach Varanasi on the 15th November where it will be placed at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh after the appropriate rituals.
The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has not only made efforts to help retrieve these antiquities but personally carried them back with him during his official tours abroad. The recent success is because of our continuous cultural relations with various countries of the world and the warm personal relations which the Prime Minister shares with other heads of the countries. This is an active step to appreciate and acknowledge the historical past of our country. Our murthis are India’s heritage. The Ministry of Culture is working closely with the Ministry of External Affairs to repatriate the antiques which hold heritage value and have local importance. The faith and confidence in people from whom their ancestral heritage was taken will be reimposed.
Sri G. Kishan Reddy, Minister for Tourism, Culture and DoNER, will also participate in the AyodhyaDeepotsav programme on 3rd November .
The celebration will attempt a record by lighting 12 lakh diyas  all over the Ayodhya City. Around 9 lakh diyas will be lit at the Ram Ki PaidiGhat on the banks of river Saryu on Diwali and 3 lakhs in different places of the city.
The Ayodhya Deepotsav will include a rally of folk artists, tableaus depicting various episodes of Ramayana, the performance of SaryuHarathi, 3D Holographic show, projection mapping, thematic laser show, staging of Ram Leela.